Reborn As A Doomsday Villainess-Chapter 45: I like it when you call my name like that

[Weapons, medicine, communication, even energy. When the world collapses, people won’t just need food. They’ll need the ability to fight, heal, and rebuild.]

Qingran exhaled slowly, piecing it together.

Feng Yizhou wasn’t just hoarding supplies. He was investing in something bigger—something that would keep him not just alive but in control when everything crumbled.

She side-eyed him. He was still driving, his expression unreadable.

"Lingquan," she muttered, "remind me to never owe this man a favor."

[Too late for that.]

The hotel suite was bathed in soft golden light, the quiet hum of the city outside barely filtering in. Qingran adjusted the sleek black dress in front of the mirror, tilting her head slightly.

The fabric hugged her frame just enough to look elegant, but more importantly, it was practical. A knife was discreetly tucked into the folds, the slit along her thigh perfectly positioned for easy access. Hopefully, security wouldn’t be thorough enough to notice.

Behind her, Feng Yizhou leaned against the dresser, arms crossed, watching her with open appreciation. "You look..." He exhaled, as if searching for the right word. "Dangerous."

Qingran arched a brow at him through the mirror. "That’s what you’re going with?"

He pushed off the dresser and stepped closer, his voice lower now. "Deadly," he amended, eyes flicking down to where the dress slit revealed just enough skin to tease. "And stunning."

Lingquan snickered in her mind. [Flirting before a black market auction? Bold choice.]

Qingran ignored him, shifting her weight as she smoothed her dress. "As long as it does the job."

Feng Yizhou’s lips curved as he reached out, his fingers brushing against her exposed thigh before gripping it lightly. "I hope you know how to use this," he murmured, the warmth of his palm seeping through her skin, as he caressed her slightly.

Her pulse didn’t quicken, but she held his gaze steadily. "I guess you’ll find out if things go wrong..Mr Feng."

His thumb brushed against her skin before he finally let go, stepping back with a smirk. "Oh I like it when you call my name like that."

Giving her another glance, he smiled "Try not to make me too jealous in there."

Qingran rolled her eyes, grabbing her clutch—where another blade was safely hidden. "If you’re done staring, we have an auction to attend."

Feng Yizhou chuckled, offering his arm. "Let’s go, then."

The auction hall buzzed with tension, the kind that came from too much power gathered in one place. Beneath the glittering chandeliers and velvet-draped walls, whispers wove through the air like threads in a deadly game.

Unbeknownst to the bidders vying for supplies and secrets, two figures stood at the upper balcony, watching the unfolding spectacle with sharp, assessing eyes.

The girl, no older than seventeen, leaned lazily against the railing, chin propped on her palm. Her long silver hair cascaded over her shoulders, the soft waves contrasting the cold amusement in her crimson eyes. She was dressed in a deceptively simple outfit—black high boots, a short leather skirt, and a white blouse—casual, unassuming, yet effortlessly striking.

Beside her, a man in his mid-twenties stood with an air of quiet authority. Unlike her, he was dressed sharply, his dark suit tailored to perfection, the crisp lines doing little to soften the lethal aura he carried. His hair was neatly combed back, revealing a sharp jawline and eyes that held the weight of calculated cruelty.

The girl clicked her tongue, watching the guests below. "See anything interesting yet, big brother?"

The man didn’t answer immediately, his gaze sweeping across the room with practiced ease. "A few," he mused, voice smooth but edged with disinterest. "But most of them won’t last beyond the third phase."

She huffed, stretching her arms. "Tch. Boring. I was hoping we’d find someone fun this time."

Her fingers twitched absently, and in the blink of an eye, a translucent panel of data flickered before her—information on the bidders, their worth, their potential. One by one, she skimmed through them, but her smile quickly faded.

The panel glitched.

Her fingers stilled.

Frowning, she tapped it again, focusing on two particular figures among the crowd. Unlike the others, whose strengths and weaknesses were laid bare before her, these two... were blank.

No data. No system records.

Nothing.

Her breath hitched slightly, and she turned to her companion. "Brother," she muttered, "something’s wrong."

He glanced at her screen, his expression barely shifting. "Mhm go on."

She swallowed, voice dropping to a whisper. "I can’t read them. There’s no information—like they don’t exist."

"That’s impossible. There’s nothing our system haven’t been able to scan before.."

The man replied as he called out to his own system.

[??]

"Scan them, I want every information"

[COMMAND RECEIVED. SCANNING.]

The text appeared instantly, each letter forming with an unsettling precision. A pulse of invisible energy swept through the auction hall, locking onto every presence in the room. Information flooded in—names, backgrounds, power levels, even the deepest secrets most tried to hide.

And then, it stopped.

He stared at the two figures in the crowd.

Blank.

Nothing.

No names, no statistics, no rankings. Just an empty void where their data should be.

[ERROR: INVALID ENTRY.]

A slow frown formed as he tapped the screen, rerunning the scan. The system obeyed without hesitation, lines of data unraveling in real-time. Yet, no matter how many times it attempted to register them, the result remained the same.

[ERROR: INVALID ENTRY.]

[ERROR: INVALID ENTRY.]

[ERROR: INVALID ENTRY.]

A flicker of something sharp and dangerous flashed in his eyes. He had seen all kinds of system anomalies before—hacks, blockers, even artifacts designed to disrupt scans. But this? This was different.

This was absolute.

His sister peeked over his shoulder, crimson eyes widening. "Even yours can’t read them?"

His fingers hovered over the screen. He had long accepted that his system was merciless, a ruthless entity that demanded results with no concern for morality. It pried into secrets, dissected weaknesses, and assigned harsh, often brutal tasks without remorse. Yet now, for the first time, it faltered.

A new line of text suddenly scrawled across the screen, stark and ominous.

[QUERY: DO YOU WISH TO FORCE IDENTIFICATION? CONSEQUENCES FOR FORCE IDENTIFICATION IS EXTREME, EXCRUCIATING PAIN FOR 24 HOURS]

[Y/N]